US5436378A - Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures - Google Patents
Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures Download PDFInfo
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- US5436378A US5436378A US08/263,488 US26348894A US5436378A US 5436378 A US5436378 A US 5436378A US 26348894 A US26348894 A US 26348894A US 5436378 A US5436378 A US 5436378A
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
- C07C—ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
- C07C17/00—Preparation of halogenated hydrocarbons
- C07C17/38—Separation; Purification; Stabilisation; Use of additives
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the drying of water-containing hydrocarbons, notably those hydrocarbons used in the production of chloromethanes.
- This invention especially relates to the drying of optionally halogenated hydrocarbons which contain both water and hydrochloric acid.
- hydrochloric acid as recovered and is then reclaimed by conversion into chlorine in a Deacon reaction or an oxychlorination reaction. If water is removed from this mixture of chloromethanes by condensation, then there is a risk, due to the great solubility of hydrochloric acid in water, of producing a solution of hydrochloric acid in water which is subsequently difficult to separate. There is a risk that the disadvantage will be the same if it is desired to separate the water from this mixture using a drying agent.
- hydrocarbons containing hydrochloric acid and water can be selectively dried, while retaining only water on the drying agent.
- a major object of the present invention is the provision of a novel process for drying a mixture containing at least one hydrocarbon, hydrochloric acid and water, comprising contacting such mixture with a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide, until the drying agent has sorbed a major proportion of the water.
- a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide, until the drying agent has sorbed a major proportion of the water.
- the Figure of Drawing is a schematic/diagrammatic representation of a preferred embodiment of the process/apparatus according to the present invention.
- benzene and the alkylated or polyalkylated derivatives thereof namely, benzene substituted by one or more linear or branched hydrocarbon chains, each containing up to 8 carbon atoms.
- Benzene, toluene, xylene, isopropylbenzene, styrene and ethylbenzene are exemplary of the hydrocarbons that can be dried according to the invention.
- the halogenated hydrocarbons can likewise be dried per the present invention.
- the halogenated hydrocarbon may contain fluorine, chlorine or bromine atoms, or two or three of such substituents and it may be saturated or unsaturated, that is to say, it may comprise one or more double bonds or one or more triple bonds, or any combination thereof.
- the halogenated hydrocarbon preferably has from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
- the invention is particularly useful for the drying of chloromethanes and chlorinated hydrocarbons containing two carbon atoms.
- Exemplary chlorinated hydrocarbons containing two carbons are 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene.
- the halogenated hydrocarbon may be a mixture of a number of halogenated hydrocarbons; it may also comprise a solvent solution thereof.
- the amount of hydrochloric acid is immaterial, as is the amount of water. However, the amount of water is advantageously less than 1% by weight and preferably less than 0.1%.
- the mixture treated may be gaseous, or liquid, or partially gaseous.
- the temperature and the pressure of the process are not critical. Thus, the process of the invention can be used to dry the starting mixture whatever the temperature and pressure available, and without having to modify the temperature/pressure.
- the mixture may also contain other constituents, for example chlorine.
- the drying agent is in solid form and can be easily separated from the mixture. It can be in the form of powder or of granules in a stationary bed or a fluid bed. It is a product, the function of which is to sorb only water, but neither hydrochloric acid nor optionally chlorine when it is present and, of course, not the halogenated hydrocarbon. It is an anhydrous salt which quite obviously must not react chemically with hydrochloric acid.
- Metal sulfates, chlorides and perchlorates are suitable. It is possible to use, for example, calcium sulfate, sodium sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc chloride, calcium chloride, barium perchlorate or magnesium perchlorate.
- Calcium chloride is advantageously employed.
- the amount of the drying agent depends on the amount of water than can be tolerated which is to remain in the mixture.
- an essentially anhydrous drying agent For example, to provide a mixture containing not more than 10 ppm of water, it is preferred to use a calcium chloride having a water content of less than 5% by weight.
- the amount of the drying agent depends on the total amount of water sought to be sorbed. For example, when a stationary bed is used, the drying agent in closest proximity to the inlet of the flow of mixture to be dried, first becomes saturated with water, and this saturation progresses through the depth of the entire bed. To ensure proper drying (desiccation), it suffices that adequate anhydrous drying agent, not yet saturated with water, should remain present.
- the residence time of intimate contact of the mixture to be dried with the drying agent is also not critical. It is advantageously less than 10 minutes and preferably ranges from 1 to 5 minutes. Employing much longer residence times is also within the scope of the invention, but this is not necessary to obtain satisfactory results.
- Lengthy residence times correspond to a large volume of drying agent. This is a good precaution for assuring proper drying, but such large volume can effect pressure drops which are incompatible with the other parameters of the process.
- One skilled in this art can very easily determine the best compromise among the variables.
- the present invention also features a process for the synthesis of chloromethanes by intimately contacting a mixture containing at least one chloromethane, hydrochloric acid and water, at any point in the process, with a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide.
- a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide.
- the synthesis of chloromethanes comprises preparing methyl chloride (CH 3 Cl) and then, by chlorination, the higher chloromethanes: methylene chloride (CH 2 Cl 2 ), chloroform (CHCl 3 ) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ).
- CH 3 Cl is prepared by chlorination of methane or by hydrochlorination of methanol.
- Such CH 3 Cl optionally containing a proportion of the higher chloromethanes, is then chlorinated using liquid or gaseous chlorine.
- a mixture of chloromethanes, hydrochloric acid, trace amounts of water and possibly a minor amount of chlorine is recovered.
- the water is neither a reactant nor a reaction product, but is present as an impurity in the starting materials such as chlorine, and a fraction of it can remain in the CH 3 Cl emanating from the methanol hydrochlorination reaction.
- the HCl is separated by distilling this mixture through the "HCl column".
- Advantage is thus taken of a favorable concentration profile of the traces of chlorine in this column to exhaust such trace amounts of chlorine, for example with the aid of UV lamps, by completing the chlorination.
- a mixture of chloromethanes, water and a minor fraction of hydrochloric acid which is poorly separated in the HCl column is provided as tailings. This mixture is subjected to a series of distillations to separate the various chloromethanes which constitute the desired final product and a fraction thereof is recycled to the chlorination reactor to adjust the proportions of the various chloromethanes.
- a first column downstream of the HCl column
- a "methyl chloride column” the CH 3 Cl and the major proportion of the water are taken off overhead, together with the trace amounts of HCl and of chlorine which were still present after treatment in the HCl column.
- a mixture of higher chloromethanes is present which in turn is separated into its various components by distillation. Although its boiling point is higher than that of the higher chloromethanes, the trace amounts of water exit overhead because of Various partial azeotropes and of the formation of more or less stable CH 3 Cl hydrates.
- the mixture exiting overhead from the CH 3 Cl column is dried upstream of the condenser and the reflux vessel.
- This preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the attached Figure of Drawing, and includes a chlorination reactor 20, an HCl separation column 30, a CH 3 Cl column 40, means 50 for carrying out the drying according to the invention and means 60 for separating the higher chloromethanes.
- the CH 3 Cl emanating from the hydrochlorination reaction (not shown) is introduced via line 1, the chlorine via line 2 and the recycled chloromethanes via line 3.
- the output 4 is distilled in column 30 and the HCl is collected at 5 and the tailings, containing the chloromethanes, water and a slight fraction of HCl, are fed into the column 40 via the line 6.
- Line 7 indicates the output of CH 3 Cl, 8 the reflux and 9 the recycle.
- the higher chloromethanes are separated in vessel 60; conduits 10, 11 and 12 represent the output of CH 2 Cl 2 , CHCl 3 and CCl 4 , respectively.
- Conduits 9, 13, 14 and 15 indicate the transport of CH 3 Cl, CH 2 Cl 2 , CHCl 3 and CCl 4 , which are combined in the flowstream 3 and are recycled to the reactor 20.
- the drying agent is preferably calcium chloride.
- the mixture to be dried exiting overhead from the CH 3 Cl column is at a temperature ranging from 5° C. to 60° C. and preferably from 20° to 50° C. Its pressure advantageously ranges from 1 to 10 bars absolute.
- the amount of water can vary over wide limits; it is advantageously less than 0.5% by weight and preferably ranges from 50 to 500 ppm.
- the amount of HCl depends on the efficiency of the HCl separation column; it is generally less than 1,000 ppm and preferably ranges from 50 to 500 ppm.
- the overhead mixture from the CH 3 Cl column which is to be dried may also contain chlorine.
- the concentration of such chlorine values varies according to the efficiency of the chlorination reactor and of the optional finishing reaction which may be carried out in the HCl column. This concentration may attain values of up to 10,000 ppm.
- the CH 3 Cl separation column may be coupled with the CH 2 Cl 2 separation column, or a single column may be used having an overhead outlet of CH 3 Cl and the higher chloromethanes at various side outlets, or any combination of this same type, which is well known to the distillation art. It is also within the ambit of the present invention to arrange the drier at the head of this column on the gaseous phase consisting essentially of methyl chloride.
- a drier was constituted of a glass column 0.5 m in height and 0.45 m in diameter, which was filled with 30 kg of CaCl 2 granules of 3 to 8 mm over a height of 37.5 cm.
- the water content of the CaCl 2 was 2.3%.
- a flowstream of gaseous CH 3 Cl containing HCl, water and chlorine was passed through this bed, from the bottom upwards, this being carried out over 408 hours. The results are reported in Table I.
- Example 1 The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
- Example 1 The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
- the operation was carried out in this manner for 12 hours and then 15 kg of CaCl 2 containing 1% of water were added on top of the bed.
- the total operating time was 50 hours.
- Example 1 The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
- Chloromethanes were dried over molecular sieves. 50 g of molecular sieve, namely, 71 ml, were arranged over a height of 540 mm in a glass tube of 13 mm internal diameter and 700 mm in height. The chloromethanes were in a flask and flowed under gravity into the molecular sieve layer at a variable flow rate regulated by a needle valve and were collected in a conical receiver vented into a wash bottle containing concentrated sulfuric acid.
- a 3-angstrom potassium sieve was employed in the form of 2-mm beads.
- the space velocity is expressed in liters per hour per liter of sieve.
- Apparatus according to FIG. 1 was employed, in which the column 40, 800 mm in diameter, comprised 35 valve trays and operated at 9 bars absolute.
- the head temperature was 40° C., the bottom temperature 110° C.
- the drying agent, CaCl 2 with a content of more than 95%, was arranged as a stationary bed in a vessel 50, 2800 mm in diameter, 5800 mm in height.
- the condenser was fed with the dry CH 3 Cl drier output.
- the flowstream 6 contained:
- the stream 8 constituted the reflux of the distillation column, containing CH 3 Cl, HCl, Cl 2 , the H 2 O content of which was lower than 20 ppm.
- the stream 7 represents the CH 3 Cl extracted from the column, the composition of which was identical to the flow 8.
- the stream 9 constitutes the proportion of CH 3 Cl which was recycled, of the same composition as the flowstreams 7 and 8.
Abstract
Water-containing mixtures of at least one hydrocarbon/halocarbon and hydrochloric acid, e.g., the methyl chloride feedstream in conventional process for the synthesis of chloromethanes, are desiccated by intimately contacting such mixtures with an effective drying amount of an essentially anhydrous drying agent that includes (i) a metal sulfate, chloride or perchlorate, or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide.
Description
This application is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 07/911,473, filed Jul. 10, 1992, which is a divisional, of application Ser. No. 07/797,159, filed Nov. 26, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,121.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the drying of water-containing hydrocarbons, notably those hydrocarbons used in the production of chloromethanes.
This invention especially relates to the drying of optionally halogenated hydrocarbons which contain both water and hydrochloric acid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The drying of perchloroethylene using a solution of calcium chloride (Chem. Abstracts, vol. 99,177849d) and in the absence of hydrochloric acid is known to this art. The drying of chloroform CHCl3 and carbon tetrachloride CCl4, after purification thereof by extraction with water (Chem. Abstracts, Vol. 62,2227e), with calcium chloride (CaCl2), but always in the absence of hydrochloric acid, is also known to this art.
Nonetheless, serious need exists in this art for a technique to dry hydrocarbons containing hydrochloric acid and water without concomitantly removing the hydrochloric acid. This problem is particularly acute in the synthesis of chloromethanes as they exit the chlorination reactor, where the chloromethanes are mixed with hydrochloric acid (in each instance that a hydrogen atom is substituted by a chlorine atom, one mole of hydrochloric acid is formed as a by-product) and with water which is introduced into the process as an impurity in the starting materials. In such process the water must be removed to prevent its accumulation and also to avoid clogging or blocking the pipelines with ice and hydrates. The hydrochloric acid as recovered and is then reclaimed by conversion into chlorine in a Deacon reaction or an oxychlorination reaction. If water is removed from this mixture of chloromethanes by condensation, then there is a risk, due to the great solubility of hydrochloric acid in water, of producing a solution of hydrochloric acid in water which is subsequently difficult to separate. There is a risk that the disadvantage will be the same if it is desired to separate the water from this mixture using a drying agent.
Surprisingly, it has now unexpectedly been determined that hydrocarbons containing hydrochloric acid and water can be selectively dried, while retaining only water on the drying agent.
Accordingly, a major object of the present invention is the provision of a novel process for drying a mixture containing at least one hydrocarbon, hydrochloric acid and water, comprising contacting such mixture with a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide, until the drying agent has sorbed a major proportion of the water.
The Figure of Drawing is a schematic/diagrammatic representation of a preferred embodiment of the process/apparatus according to the present invention.
More particularly according to the present invention, although it is applicable for the drying of any hydrocarbon, it is advantageously employed to dry benzene and the alkylated or polyalkylated derivatives thereof, namely, benzene substituted by one or more linear or branched hydrocarbon chains, each containing up to 8 carbon atoms. Benzene, toluene, xylene, isopropylbenzene, styrene and ethylbenzene are exemplary of the hydrocarbons that can be dried according to the invention. The halogenated hydrocarbons can likewise be dried per the present invention.
The halogenated hydrocarbon may contain fluorine, chlorine or bromine atoms, or two or three of such substituents and it may be saturated or unsaturated, that is to say, it may comprise one or more double bonds or one or more triple bonds, or any combination thereof. The halogenated hydrocarbon preferably has from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The invention is particularly useful for the drying of chloromethanes and chlorinated hydrocarbons containing two carbon atoms. Exemplary chlorinated hydrocarbons containing two carbons are 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. The halogenated hydrocarbon may be a mixture of a number of halogenated hydrocarbons; it may also comprise a solvent solution thereof. The amount of hydrochloric acid is immaterial, as is the amount of water. However, the amount of water is advantageously less than 1% by weight and preferably less than 0.1%.
The presence of greater amounts of water in the hydrocarbon is also envisaged by the present invention, but the invention would no longer be economically viable. Indeed, in the event of amounts essentially on the order of a few percent, or more, it is simpler to employ conventional separations such as distillation or an extraction, and then to carry out the process of the invention.
The mixture treated may be gaseous, or liquid, or partially gaseous. The temperature and the pressure of the process are not critical. Thus, the process of the invention can be used to dry the starting mixture whatever the temperature and pressure available, and without having to modify the temperature/pressure. The mixture may also contain other constituents, for example chlorine.
The drying agent (desiccant) is in solid form and can be easily separated from the mixture. It can be in the form of powder or of granules in a stationary bed or a fluid bed. It is a product, the function of which is to sorb only water, but neither hydrochloric acid nor optionally chlorine when it is present and, of course, not the halogenated hydrocarbon. It is an anhydrous salt which quite obviously must not react chemically with hydrochloric acid. Metal sulfates, chlorides and perchlorates are suitable. It is possible to use, for example, calcium sulfate, sodium sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc chloride, calcium chloride, barium perchlorate or magnesium perchlorate.
Calcium chloride is advantageously employed. The amount of the drying agent depends on the amount of water than can be tolerated which is to remain in the mixture.
A calcium chloride having a water content ranging from 0% to 25% by weight and, preferably, from 0% to 12%, is preferably used.
To produce a mixture containing not more than a few ppm of water, it is necessary to use an essentially anhydrous drying agent. For example, to provide a mixture containing not more than 10 ppm of water, it is preferred to use a calcium chloride having a water content of less than 5% by weight.
The amount of the drying agent depends on the total amount of water sought to be sorbed. For example, when a stationary bed is used, the drying agent in closest proximity to the inlet of the flow of mixture to be dried, first becomes saturated with water, and this saturation progresses through the depth of the entire bed. To ensure proper drying (desiccation), it suffices that adequate anhydrous drying agent, not yet saturated with water, should remain present. The residence time of intimate contact of the mixture to be dried with the drying agent is also not critical. It is advantageously less than 10 minutes and preferably ranges from 1 to 5 minutes. Employing much longer residence times is also within the scope of the invention, but this is not necessary to obtain satisfactory results.
Lengthy residence times correspond to a large volume of drying agent. This is a good precaution for assuring proper drying, but such large volume can effect pressure drops which are incompatible with the other parameters of the process. One skilled in this art can very easily determine the best compromise among the variables.
The present invention also features a process for the synthesis of chloromethanes by intimately contacting a mixture containing at least one chloromethane, hydrochloric acid and water, at any point in the process, with a drying agent selected from among (i) anhydrous metal sulfates, chlorides or perchlorates or (ii) phosphorus pentoxide.
The synthesis of chloromethanes comprises preparing methyl chloride (CH3 Cl) and then, by chlorination, the higher chloromethanes: methylene chloride (CH2 Cl2), chloroform (CHCl3) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). CH3 Cl is prepared by chlorination of methane or by hydrochlorination of methanol. Such CH3 Cl, optionally containing a proportion of the higher chloromethanes, is then chlorinated using liquid or gaseous chlorine. At the outlet of the chlorination reactor, a mixture of chloromethanes, hydrochloric acid, trace amounts of water and possibly a minor amount of chlorine is recovered.
The water is neither a reactant nor a reaction product, but is present as an impurity in the starting materials such as chlorine, and a fraction of it can remain in the CH3 Cl emanating from the methanol hydrochlorination reaction.
The HCl is separated by distilling this mixture through the "HCl column". Advantage is thus taken of a favorable concentration profile of the traces of chlorine in this column to exhaust such trace amounts of chlorine, for example with the aid of UV lamps, by completing the chlorination. A mixture of chloromethanes, water and a minor fraction of hydrochloric acid which is poorly separated in the HCl column is provided as tailings. This mixture is subjected to a series of distillations to separate the various chloromethanes which constitute the desired final product and a fraction thereof is recycled to the chlorination reactor to adjust the proportions of the various chloromethanes.
In a first column (downstream of the HCl column), designated a "methyl chloride column", the CH3 Cl and the major proportion of the water are taken off overhead, together with the trace amounts of HCl and of chlorine which were still present after treatment in the HCl column. At the base of this CH3 Cl column a mixture of higher chloromethanes is present which in turn is separated into its various components by distillation. Although its boiling point is higher than that of the higher chloromethanes, the trace amounts of water exit overhead because of Various partial azeotropes and of the formation of more or less stable CH3 Cl hydrates.
Such a process for the synthesis of chloromethanes is described in EP 128,818, GB 2,158,067, GB 2,181,132 and GB 1,456,568, assigned to the assignee hereof. The invention is advantageously applied to methyl chloride produced by hydrochlorination of methanol or by chlorination of methane and to the CH3 Cl originating from the CH3 Cl Column, either to the entire flowstream or only to the proportion recycling to the chlorination reactor. The benefits of the invention include the removal of water to .prevent accumulation thereof in the process and also the prevention of corrosion problems. Indeed, the simultaneous presence of water, of HCl and possibly of chlorine at the head of the CH3 Cl column promotes corrosion. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixture exiting overhead from the CH3 Cl column is dried upstream of the condenser and the reflux vessel. This preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the attached Figure of Drawing, and includes a chlorination reactor 20, an HCl separation column 30, a CH3 Cl column 40, means 50 for carrying out the drying according to the invention and means 60 for separating the higher chloromethanes. The CH3 Cl emanating from the hydrochlorination reaction (not shown) is introduced via line 1, the chlorine via line 2 and the recycled chloromethanes via line 3. The output 4 is distilled in column 30 and the HCl is collected at 5 and the tailings, containing the chloromethanes, water and a slight fraction of HCl, are fed into the column 40 via the line 6. Line 7 indicates the output of CH3 Cl, 8 the reflux and 9 the recycle. The higher chloromethanes are separated in vessel 60; conduits 10, 11 and 12 represent the output of CH2 Cl2, CHCl3 and CCl4, respectively. Conduits 9, 13, 14 and 15 indicate the transport of CH3 Cl, CH2 Cl2, CHCl3 and CCl4, which are combined in the flowstream 3 and are recycled to the reactor 20.
The drying agent (desiccant) is preferably calcium chloride. The mixture to be dried exiting overhead from the CH3 Cl column is at a temperature ranging from 5° C. to 60° C. and preferably from 20° to 50° C. Its pressure advantageously ranges from 1 to 10 bars absolute.
The amount of water can vary over wide limits; it is advantageously less than 0.5% by weight and preferably ranges from 50 to 500 ppm. The amount of HCl depends on the efficiency of the HCl separation column; it is generally less than 1,000 ppm and preferably ranges from 50 to 500 ppm.
The overhead mixture from the CH3 Cl column which is to be dried may also contain chlorine. The concentration of such chlorine values varies according to the efficiency of the chlorination reactor and of the optional finishing reaction which may be carried out in the HCl column. This concentration may attain values of up to 10,000 ppm.
The CH3 Cl separation column may be coupled with the CH2 Cl2 separation column, or a single column may be used having an overhead outlet of CH3 Cl and the higher chloromethanes at various side outlets, or any combination of this same type, which is well known to the distillation art. It is also within the ambit of the present invention to arrange the drier at the head of this column on the gaseous phase consisting essentially of methyl chloride.
In order to further illustrate the present invention and the advantages thereof, the following specific examples are given, it being understood that same are intended only as illustrative and in nowise limitative.
A drier was constituted of a glass column 0.5 m in height and 0.45 m in diameter, which was filled with 30 kg of CaCl2 granules of 3 to 8 mm over a height of 37.5 cm. The water content of the CaCl2 was 2.3%. A flowstream of gaseous CH3 Cl containing HCl, water and chlorine was passed through this bed, from the bottom upwards, this being carried out over 408 hours. The results are reported in Table I.
TABLE I
__________________________________________________________________________
Pressure
Time
Residence
(H.sub.2 O)
ppm (Cl.sub.2)
ppm
(HCL)
ppm
(bar absolute)
(h)
time i o i o i o
__________________________________________________________________________
1 170
4 70 to
<25 85 85
300 300
105
1 180
4 900 <30 500 490
300 290
1 190
4.5 300 <30 550 500
350 380
1 211
4 300 <30 1,050
1,050
350 350
1 265
4 310 25-30
950 980
300 290
1 297
3.5 300 <25 950 980
500 460
1.1 376
4 150 <25
1.5 383
4.5 190 <25 950 980
500 460
1 408
5.3 300 <25 2,100
2,000
350 350
__________________________________________________________________________
i = drier inlet
o = drier outlet
The residence time was calculated for the emptyl drier.
The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
7 kg of CaCl2 containing 22% of water
5 kg of CaCl2 containing 12% of water
8 kg of CaCl2 containing 21.5% of water
8 kg of CaCl2 containing 10% of water
2 kg of CaCl2 containing 12% of water.
The operation was carried out in this manner for 32 hours and then a breakthrough of the bed was observed.
The results are reported in Table II.
TABLE II
______________________________________
Residence
Time time (H.sub.2 O)
ppm (Cl.sub.2)
ppm (HCl) ppm
(h) (min) i o i o i o
______________________________________
0 4.6 520 130 1,100 1,050
300 300
10 h, 4.6 520 130 1,100 1,050
300 300
30 min
13 4.6 350 120 1,100 1,050
300 300
14 6.5 450 100 1,100 1,050
300 300
15 4.6 450 130 1,100 1,050
300 300
32 4.6 300 130 1,100 1,050
300 300
______________________________________
The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
7 kg of CaCl2 containing 22% of water
5 kg of CaCl2 containing 12% of water
3 kg of CaCl2 containing 21.5% of water.
The operation was carried out in this manner for 12 hours and then 15 kg of CaCl2 containing 1% of water were added on top of the bed. The total operating time was 50 hours.
The results are reported in Table III.
TABLE III
______________________________________
Residence
Time time (H.sub.2 O)
ppm (Cl.sub.2)
ppm (HCl) ppm
(h) (min) i o i o i o
______________________________________
0 4.6 212 160 1,100 1,050
300 300
10 10.5 255 160 1,100 1,050
300 300
12 4.6 270 150 1,100 1,050
300 300
13 4.9 230 25 1,100 1,200
150 150
15 4.9 265 25 1,100 1,050
150 150
40 4.9 360 25 1,100 1,050
150 150
50 4.9 300 25 1,260 1,300
130 140
______________________________________
The operation of Example 1 was repeated, but with the drier charged (starting from the bottom towards the top of the bed) with:
7 kg of CaCl2 containing 22% of water
5 kg of CaCl2 containing 12% of water
4 kg of CaCl2 containing 5% of water
14 kg of CaCl2 containing 1% of water.
The results are reported in Table IV.
TABLE IV
______________________________________
Residence
Time time (H.sub.2 O)
ppm (Cl.sub.2)
ppm (HCl) ppm
(h) (min) i o i o i o
______________________________________
10 4.5 280 25 1,570 1,550
240 240
35 4.5 300 25 1,550 1,550
300 300
______________________________________
Chloromethanes were dried over molecular sieves. 50 g of molecular sieve, namely, 71 ml, were arranged over a height of 540 mm in a glass tube of 13 mm internal diameter and 700 mm in height. The chloromethanes were in a flask and flowed under gravity into the molecular sieve layer at a variable flow rate regulated by a needle valve and were collected in a conical receiver vented into a wash bottle containing concentrated sulfuric acid.
A steady flow rate of chloromethanes was obtained by placing the flask under a constant pressure of nitrogen.
A 3-angstrom potassium sieve was employed in the form of 2-mm beads.
The results are reported in Table V, in which MS stands for Molecular Sieve.
TABLE V
______________________________________
Space
velocity
Flow Linear flow rate
Liquid rate speed (l/h) H.sub.2 O
HCl
tested (l/h) (cm/min) MS vol (1)
ppm ppm
______________________________________
Mixture
(by wt.)
CH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 : 17%
1.5 19 21 38 4
CHCl.sub.3 : 60%
2.0 25 28 38 4
CCl.sub.4 : 23%
2.5 31.5 35 33 4
H.sub.2 O = 85 ppm
HCl = 22 ppm
Chloro- 2.5 31.5 35 30 4
methane
mixture
as above 3.0 38 42 18 4
H.sub.2 O = 145 ppm
3.5 44 49 18 4
HCl = 18 ppm
______________________________________
The space velocity is expressed in liters per hour per liter of sieve.
It was found that HCl was retained, like water, on the molecular sieve.
Apparatus according to FIG. 1 was employed, in which the column 40, 800 mm in diameter, comprised 35 valve trays and operated at 9 bars absolute. The head temperature was 40° C., the bottom temperature 110° C. The drying agent, CaCl2 with a content of more than 95%, was arranged as a stationary bed in a vessel 50, 2800 mm in diameter, 5800 mm in height.
The condenser was fed with the dry CH3 Cl drier output.
The flowstream 6 contained:
10 to 20% CH3 Cl
50-100 ppm H2 O
100-500 ppm Cl2
50-500 ppm HCl
80 to 90% CH2 Cl2 +CHCl3 +CCl4.
The stream 8 constituted the reflux of the distillation column, containing CH3 Cl, HCl, Cl2, the H2 O content of which was lower than 20 ppm.
The stream 7 represents the CH3 Cl extracted from the column, the composition of which was identical to the flow 8.
The stream 9 constitutes the proportion of CH3 Cl which was recycled, of the same composition as the flowstreams 7 and 8.
While the invention has been described in terms of various preferred embodiments, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various modifications, substitutions, omissions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited solely by the scope of the following claims, including equivalents thereof.
Claims (14)
1. A process for making chloromethanes comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing methyl chloride by chlorination of methane or by hydrochlorination of methanol to obtain a mixture including methyl chloride, hydrochloric acid and less than 1% by weight of water;
(b) chlorinating the mixture of methyl chloride and hydrochloric acid to obtain a mixture of chloromethanes, of hydrochloric acid of an undesired amount of water and possibly of a little chlorine;
(c) separating HCl from the mixture of chloromethanes and hydrochloric acid by distillation;
(d) then distilling in a CH3 Cl column a chloromethane containing mixture recovered in step (c) to recover an overhead mixture including methyl chloride, a major proportion of water together with traces of HCl and of chlorine and a bottoms mixture containing higher chloromethanes;
(e) separating higher chloromethanes by distillation;
(f) recycling to the step (b) a proportion of methyl chloride and possibly a proportion of the higher chloromethanes; and
(g) bringing at least one of (i) the mixture of step (a) or (ii) the overhead mixture of step (d) in contact with a drying agent which is an anhydrous metal sulfate, chloride or perchlorate or phosphorus pentoxide to selectively separate water therefrom to obtain a mixture including methyl chloride and hydrochloric acid without removing said hydrochloric acid concomitantly with said water.
2. The process as defined by claim 1, said undesired amount of water being less than 0.1% by weight of said mixture.
3. The process as defined by claim 1, said drying agent being present in the solid state.
4. The process as defined by claim 1, said mixture comprising a gas.
5. The process as defined by claim 1, said mixture comprising a liquid.
6. The process as defined by claim 3, said drying agent constituting a bed of particles.
7. A process as defined by claim 1, wherein said drying agent is calcium sulfate, sodium sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc chloride, calcium chloride, barium perchlorate or magnesium perchlorate.
8. The process as defined by claim 7, said drying agent comprising calcium chloride.
9. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture of step (a) is brought in contact with the drying-agent.
10. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture of step (d) is brought in contact with the drying agent.
11. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture to be dried has an HCl content of less than 1,000 ppm.
12. The process according to claim 8 wherein the calcium chloride has a water content of less than 12% by weight.
13. The process according to claim 1 wherein the CH3 Cl to be dried has a water content of less than 0.5% by weight.
14. The process according to claim 13 wherein the CH3 Cl to be dried has a water content of between 50 and 500 ppm.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/263,488 US5436378A (en) | 1989-02-16 | 1994-06-21 | Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR8902024A FR2643072B1 (en) | 1989-02-16 | 1989-02-16 | PROCESS FOR DRYING HYDROCARBONS, ITS APPLICATION TO THE PREPARATION OF CHLOROMETHANES |
| FR8902024 | 1989-02-16 | ||
| US07/797,159 US5198121A (en) | 1989-02-16 | 1991-11-26 | Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures |
| US91147392A | 1992-07-10 | 1992-07-10 | |
| US08/263,488 US5436378A (en) | 1989-02-16 | 1994-06-21 | Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures |
Related Parent Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US91147392A Continuation | 1989-02-16 | 1992-07-10 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| US5436378A true US5436378A (en) | 1995-07-25 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/263,488 Expired - Fee Related US5436378A (en) | 1989-02-16 | 1994-06-21 | Drying of hydrocarbon/hydrochloric acid/water admixtures |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5436378A (en) |
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| US6323380B1 (en) | 1999-04-23 | 2001-11-27 | The Dow Chemical Company | Water removal in purification of vinyl chloride |
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| US20100087688A1 (en) * | 2008-10-01 | 2010-04-08 | Jorge Miller | Process and catalyst for converting alkanes |
| US7838708B2 (en) | 2001-06-20 | 2010-11-23 | Grt, Inc. | Hydrocarbon conversion process improvements |
| US7847139B2 (en) | 2003-07-15 | 2010-12-07 | Grt, Inc. | Hydrocarbon synthesis |
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| US7883568B2 (en) | 2006-02-03 | 2011-02-08 | Grt, Inc. | Separation of light gases from halogens |
| US7964764B2 (en) | 2003-07-15 | 2011-06-21 | Grt, Inc. | Hydrocarbon synthesis |
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| US8198495B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2012-06-12 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for the staged synthesis of alkyl bromides |
| US8273929B2 (en) | 2008-07-18 | 2012-09-25 | Grt, Inc. | Continuous process for converting natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons |
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| US8367884B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2013-02-05 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for the staged synthesis of alkyl bromides |
| US8436220B2 (en) | 2011-06-10 | 2013-05-07 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for demethanization of brominated hydrocarbons |
| US8642822B2 (en) | 2004-04-16 | 2014-02-04 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes for converting gaseous alkanes to liquid hydrocarbons using microchannel reactor |
| US8802908B2 (en) | 2011-10-21 | 2014-08-12 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for separate, parallel methane and higher alkanes' bromination |
| US8815050B2 (en) | 2011-03-22 | 2014-08-26 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for drying liquid bromine |
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| US6391160B1 (en) * | 1999-04-23 | 2002-05-21 | The Dow Chemical Company | Water removal in purification of vinyl chloride |
| US6323380B1 (en) | 1999-04-23 | 2001-11-27 | The Dow Chemical Company | Water removal in purification of vinyl chloride |
| US8415512B2 (en) | 2001-06-20 | 2013-04-09 | Grt, Inc. | Hydrocarbon conversion process improvements |
| US7838708B2 (en) | 2001-06-20 | 2010-11-23 | Grt, Inc. | Hydrocarbon conversion process improvements |
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| US7812201B2 (en) | 2008-10-01 | 2010-10-12 | Targa Resources, Inc. | Process and catalyst for converting alkanes |
| US7968755B2 (en) | 2008-10-01 | 2011-06-28 | Sajet Development Llc | Process and catalyst for converting alkanes |
| US20100087688A1 (en) * | 2008-10-01 | 2010-04-08 | Jorge Miller | Process and catalyst for converting alkanes |
| US8367884B2 (en) | 2010-03-02 | 2013-02-05 | Marathon Gtf Technology, Ltd. | Processes and systems for the staged synthesis of alkyl bromides |
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